


Of Assumptions and Rage

by MutantofTime



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-29
Updated: 2014-03-02
Packaged: 2017-11-27 10:00:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 17,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/660681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MutantofTime/pseuds/MutantofTime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dave Strider, DJ at the local club and university attendee is dating Karkat Vantas, who lives with him and attends the same university. Dave meets a new guy, which leads Karkat to assume the worst, causing a rocky relationship to become even rockier.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The DJ and The Derp

**Author's Note:**

> Collegestuck, humanstuck trolls, DaveXKarkat, POSSIBLE DaveXJohn and other pairings. They are POSSIBLE, so that's why I put them in the tags. Also, some of them have already happened, so that is also why they are in the tags. This could totally be considered soap-operastuck.

**PoV: Dave**

I wrapped my arms around Karkat's waist as we danced to the loud music of the club, and pulled him closer to me. Man, I was so glad that Bro had taken over for me in the DJ department for a little bit of tonight, I really needed this break.

Karkat's back was to me, so as I brought him closer, I felt his behind rub against my crotch, and we began grinding. Karkat was still inexperienced at this, so I used my hands to guide his hips as we danced.

We had been dancing for a few hours now, and the club was so hot and stuff with everyone there, dancing and sweating. I was already breathing pretty heavily, and I could tell that Karkat was exhausted, as his movements became slower and slower. Finally, he pulled away from me, and I let my arms fall to my sides.

"I want to go home, Dave," he murmured to be, using home to refer to the apartment we shared off campus of the university we both attended.

"Mmm...," I answered lazily. I looked down at him through my shades and brushed sweaty hair out of his face.

"I've got to stay here, finish my shift," I told him. Something I didn't recognize crossed his face, but he nodded and turned to go. I reached for his arm and turned him to face me again. I rested my hand on his face and gave him a slow, passionate kiss goodbye, which he didn't return. He pulled away from me again and walked off. I rolled my eyes and made my way to my Bro, to relieve him of his duties for the next few hours.

I let a smirk play on my face as I saw Bro immediately head for his boyfriend, jake. He always did the same to Karkat and I, so naturally, I returned the favor. Not even an hour of DJ'ing for me and dancing for Bro and Jake had passed before I saw the two head for the restrooms. I chuckled to myself as I chose the next song, upbeat with a loud bass. I nodded my head to the beat and let my eyes slide closed as I became completely in sync with the music.

When I opened my eyes as the song ended, I saw a curious boy slide in through the front doors. I smirked, suppressing a laugh as this guy stood there, clueless. A few minutes of this nonsense passed, and I sighed, putting up my backup playlist. I slid out of the DJ booth and made my way over to him. As I approached, he remained completely oblivious to his surroundings and just stood there like a derp.

"Hey there," I said, nodding at the boy a bit in greeting. He snapped out of his daze and looked at me. He looked around at the people dancing, and his eyes widened as he suddenly blurt out,

"I'm not a homosexual!"

I raised my eyebrows, a bit in surprise as I replied,

"Okay...cool story, bro. You realize you'be just been standing here for like, 5 minutes doing nothing, right?"

"I have?" he asked, releasing a small laugh in mild surprise.

"Yeah...," I answered slowly, looking him in the eyes through my shades and trying to figure out whether this guy was stoned or not. Suddenly, a slightly high pitched sounding voice near us called out a name.

"John! Oh Jo-ohn!" the voice called.

"Oh crap!" The boy in front of me exclaimed, beginning to panic. "Hide me, please!" he said to me, almost begging.

I didn't give it a second thought as I led him through a door that read "STAFF ONLY" on it.

Once we were inside, I let him calm down before speaking.

"So I'm guessing you're John?"

"Yeah," he answered, beginning to space out again.

I snapped my fingers in front of his face, and he jerked back to reality.

"What was that whole deal?" I asked. "Why are you hiding?"

"It's Vriska!" John exclaimed. "I broke up with her a few weeks ago, but she won't leave me alone!"

"Heh. Ex-girlfriends, I know how it is," I answered, chuckling a bit as I thought back to my ex-girlfriend from highschool, Terezi. At first, she wouldn't let go, but once I had moved out of Texas and she had no way of contacting me, I was free.

It was silent for a few moments, so I decided to introduce myself.

"Well, you're John. It's nice to meet you, I guess. I'm Dave."

I held out my fist for a brofist, but the little derp turned it into a handshake instead.

"It's a pleasure, Dave!" he said to me, shaking my hand enthusiastically. When he finally let go, I wiped my hand off on my shirt.

"Yeah, what a pleasure," I said, with a hint of sarcasm in my voice. John was completely oblivious to it though, and just stood there grinning at me.

"So Dave," he started, using my name in a tone that sounded like he had known me for longer than five minutes, "Are we even allowed to be here? The door said 'STAFF ONLY' on it."

"Yeah, I work here as a DJ," I told him. "Which, speaking of, I should really get back to the booth," I said, pushing past him as I made my way to the door.

"But...but what about Vriska?" John asked frantically. "If I go home or out there, she'll find me for sure!"

I rolled my eyes and sighed as I dug through my pockets for my apartment key.

"You can crash at my place tonight," I told him. "But I've got a roommate there, Karkat. Just tell him i sent you and that I'll be there in a little while."

John nodded and took the key I was holding out to him. "Thanks, Dave!" he said as he read the address on the keychain.

I simply nodded and exited the room we were in, John right behind me. I headed over back to the DJ booth as John headed for the back doors.

I watched him go as I slipped my headphones on, falling into my usual trance as I began DJ'ing once again.


	2. Taking Out The Trash

**PoV: Karkat**

I stormed angrily out of the club. Why couldn't Dave take a break from being a DJ for once? The last time he did that was months ago. It seemed that now, Dave didn't care about me at all. All he cared about was sloppy make-outs and sex, which was very selfish of him.

I walked the few blocks back to the apartment that Dave and I rented, which in turn was several blocks from the university we both attended. Once I had made it back to the apartment and climbed the three flights of stairs to the floor our room was on, I lost control of my inner rage, and I punched a hole through the nearby wall.

"Stupid fucking Strider," I mumbled angrily to myself. I took a few deep breaths as I continued down the hall to the apartment, and unlocked the door. I stepped inside, closing and locking the door behind me, and didn't bother taking off my shoes as I walked through the living room. I passed the kitchen, telling myself I wasn't hungry, and reached my room. Well, mine and Dave's room.

I flopped down on my bed, messing up the neatly made sheets. I laid there for about twenty minutes minutes before I started on the homework I still needed to finish. Two hours passed, and that's when I decided to abandon the biology textbook I had been staring at for 10 minutes, not even comprehending a world of it.

I put the finished homework away and glanced at my clock. 12:27am. I knew Dave wouldn't be home until 1:30am or so, which meant I still had a lot of time to kill. So I decided to get up and wash the dishes in the sink that Dave was supposed to wash. While I was doing so, I heard the door. Had that much time passed already?

"About time you got home, fuckass," I snarled towards the apartment door. There was no response. I glanced at the clock, it only read 12:57am. Why was Dave home so soon? I grimaced as I shut off the water and entered the living room, only to find a complete stranger standing there.

"Who the fuck are you?!" I shouted at the weird not-Dave boy in front of me.

"Hi!" he chirped happily. "I'm John! You must be Karkat!" he said, sticking out his hand in front of me.

I slapped his hand away.

"I don't give a shit who the fuck you are!" I said, not even questioning how he knew my name.

"But you ask-"

"Get out."

"But-"

"GET THE FUCK OUT!" I roared, starting to push him towards the door.

"No!" he shouted back defiantly. "Dave sent me here!"

I felt something rip inside of me, but I covered it up with an especially angry face. I narrowed my near watering eyes at the John-boy, afterwards turning on my heel and storming towards the bedroom, slamming the door as hard and loudly as I could.

About another hour passed before Dave got home. He simply slipped into the room, grabbing a few extra pillows and blankets off of his bed to bring to John, and left without a word to me. Several minutes later, when he came back, I wanted to ask him an important question, but by the time I had worked up the courage to do so, Dave was already asleep. I sighed loudly and turned over, falling into a fitful sleep.

**PoV: Dave**

I had gotten home a little later than usual, finding John on the couch, asleep. The door to mine and Karkat's room was shut. I slipped in as quietly as I could and grabbed a few pillows and blankets off of my bed for John, barely glancing at Karkat on his bed. When I came back, it appeared that my boyfriend was already asleep. With that, I was quick to fall asleep as well, not bothering to change or shower.

I awoke at around 7am, groaning sleepily to myself. It was Sunday, which meant no school or work for me, so that lightened my tired mood a bit. I got up to shower, doing my best not to wake Karkat. After that was said and done, I headed to the kitchen to find some breakfast as I slid my shades on. One glance into the living room told me that John was still here. I chuckled a bit to myself and took out a bottle of apple juice from the fridge, and a cup from the dishes cabinet. As I poured the juice, I spilled some on the floor, but decided to ignore it and just clean it up later. I sipped my glass and went through the fridge and cabinets, finally settling on a pop-tart to eat for breakfast. I didn't even bother toasting it, I just unwrapped it and started eating it.

Just as I finished my pop-tart, John walked in, mid-stretch and yawning.

"Hi, Dave!" he greeted me happily. I couldn't help but smile back as I replied with,

"Good morning, John."

We made small talk as I sipped my apple juice, with John standing there all derp-like. I realized at some point that I hadn't offered him anything to eat, so I did so now.

"You're welcome to anything in the house, John. Unless you want _me_  to cook for you."

"Oh, that's okay! I can cook for myself!" he told me. He stepped forward towards the fridge, and I was in the middle of a backstep to give him some room when John slipped in the apple juice I hadn't cleaned up.  _Oh shit._  Time seemed to pass slowly as John toppled onto me, knocking both him and I to the ground, and knocking my shades off.

"I'm so s-" John started, but stopped. He was staring into my red eyes. A few moments passed, along with a whispered exclamation of,

"Your eyes...they're..they're... _red!_ "

I rolled said eyes and was just about to push John off me when I heard a small gasp from the entrance of the kitchen.  _Ohhhh shiiiit._

I hadn't even heard Karkat walk in, but I sure heard him roar, pain weighing down his voice.

"Get the fuck out. Both of you!"

_Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit._

"Karkat, this isn't what it looks like!" I exclaimed. John was quick to get off of me, his eyes wide.

"I'm not a homosexual!" he explained, backing me up.

"I don't fucking care! I said get out!" Karkat said, and I broke when I saw the hurt expression on his face, tears streaming down. Karkat wasn't even trying to hide them.

"We're done, Dave. I don't put up with cheaters."

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came. So I just slowly stood up, grabbing my shades from the floor, and walked calmly out of the apartment, John right at my heels.


	3. Making Our Way Downtown

**PoV: Dave**

John followed me nervously out the door after I had picked up my shades and returned them to my face, uncomfortable with the situation that had just taken place.

"Uhh..Dave?" he asked, trying to keep up with mY swift stride as we walked down the hall and down flights of stairs.

"Yeah?" I answered.

"What is going on? Did I ruin everything?" he asked, a little bit of fear hidden in his voice.

"Naw bro. Karkat can get really tempermental. It's normal for him," I said, waving off the blame he was directing towards himself. John considered this, and threw another question at me.

"Are you a homosexual, Dave?" he asked tentatively.

I chuckled. "Ever heard of bisexuality?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I guess. You did mention an ex-girlfriend, but it's pretty clear that you have..er...had a thing with Karkat. That means you're bisexual, right?"

"Yeah," I replied. I kept my poker face on, but inside, my heart was racing. Sure, Karkat could be tempermental and we got into arguments, but he had never threatened to end us, especially since we'd been together for 7 months so far. He had been on the edge lately, and guess I just hadn't paid attention. Maybe if I had, I would've been more prepared for this.

"I'm really sorry, Dave! I just met you yesterday, and I'm already screwing up your life..."

"Dude, chill! Everything's gonna be fine. He can't just kick me out. I still have my key, so I can go back anyways," I replied smoothly, refusing to let the poor boy take any blame. It wasn't his fault at all. If only I had cleaned up that stupid apple juice...

"So where are we going?" John asked me as we exited the apartment complex.

"I dunno. Anywhere, I guess," I answered. I mulled over a question in my head as we walked, and finally decided to ask it. "So why were you at the club yesterday? You know, that was a mostly gay club, and if you aren't a homosexual..."

"I was just trying to hide from Vriska!" John exclaimed, immediately on the defensive.

I stifled a laugh as I replied, "Okay, okay. I get it. Running from crazy ex. Noted."

John took a moment to steady his breaths as we walked. "Do you go to the university nearby?" he asked me.

"Yeah, both Karkat and I do. How about you? I haven't seen you around."

"Yeah, I go there too. I've seen you, but I guess you just didn't notice me! I'm majoring in performing arts!" he told me proudly.

I smiled and said, "Yeah, I'm sure you would've guessed, but I'm gonna be a DJ. Majoring in music. Karkat's majoring in Biology or some shit like that."

John gave a laugh and said, "Music's pretty fun! You know, I'm surprised you haven't seen me. We take classes in the same building, after all!"

"Yeah, but most of the time I'm zoned out, thinking of new sick beats to try out at the clubs and such. I don't take particular interest in my surroundings," I replied, realizing he was right. We were in the same building. Thinking back now, I realized that we saw each other a lot. I just never paid any mind.

"Oh, I see," John replied. We were passing a video game store, and John wanted to check it out. I agreed, so we walked inside.

John roamed the aisles of games aimlessly, picking up one labeled 'Sburb'.

"Heh," he gave a small laugh. "If I had time, I would play this. It looks pretty neat!"

One of the store guys standing nearby overheard John and rushed towards us.

"It's brand new!" he exclaimed. "It's supposed to be  _all_ the rage with the young ones!"

I looked him over. Why was he saying young ones when he wasn't more than 21 himself? He must mean young ones, like 13 year olds. Keeping this thought in mind, I turned to John and said,

"Yeah, maybe if I was still a puny little thirteen year old, I might have played it with you."

John just laughed as he set the game down. We looked around the store a little while longer, but eventually left without buying anything.

John and I wandered about downtown, looking in stores but never buying anything. At around noon, I suggested we stop to eat.

"Yo dude, I'm starved. We should eat, especially you, seeing as you never got any breakfast."

John nodded in agreement, and we settled down to eat at a local fast food place that I didn't catch the name of. We walked inside and ordered big after I gave John a wink and said, "It's on me, 'kay?"

John only blushed and mumbled something about not being a homosexual under his breath. Damn, this kid was real intent on telling people that he was straight. I'd known him for less than 24 hours and had already heard him say so 3 times. It was making me start to question him even more.

As we ate, I couldn't help but notice little things about John. The way his top teeth protruded slightly over his bottom lip, the way his glasses were sliding halfway down his nose and he didn't seem to notice, the way his eyes were the exact same shade of blue as the sky. Then he had that derpy little giggle, and slightly flushed face. Why was I noticing these things about him?

"Um..Dave?" John's voice jerked me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah?" I asked him, grateful for my shades, because it would've been weird if he actually caught me staring at him.

"Can I ask you a question? I mean, it's sorta personal, so you don't  _have_  to answer if you don't want to.."

My heart fluttered nervously in my chest, but I answered in a smooth voice, "Sure, John. I can take anything you throw at me!"

"Do you think Karkat really ended it? You seem to be in denial...but from what I saw, you guys aren't even that strong."

My eyes widened behind my shades, and I had to take a few steady breaths before answering. "I guess I don't know," I finally answered.

"Well what if he did? Where are you gonna go?" John asked, relentless with his inquiries.

"Then I guess he did. I'd have to stop by there to get my stuff and find a hotel somewhere while I sort out getting a dorm or something."

"Well you know, I wouldn't have a problem with you staying with me if you need to, Dave. I live alone, and honestly, you're a pretty cool guy. Also, I don't think Vriska will be as much of a threat if you're around!" John said, giving me a grin accompanied by a nervous laugh.

"That'd be cool. I'll call you if I need anything, okay?" I told him, pulling out my phone so we could exchange numbers. He stared at me for a second before pulling his phone out.

"Okay!" he replied cheerfully, and we exchanged numbers. After a moment of silence, he spoke up again. "Dave, do you think going back tonight is too soon?"

"I don't think I have a choice. I have class tomorrow, so whether Karkat likes it or not, I'm going back regardless," I answered him.

"Oh, okay! Well, I'm sorry to leave you hanging now, but I've really got to go! I have homework to finish..," John said to me as he stood up and stretched.

"You think you'll make it to your place okay without Vriska bothering you? Or should I be your escort or bodyguard or something?" I asked him teasingly, a bit of mirth in my voice.

"You can come with, if you want. At least then you'll know where I live if you need to make a quick escape!" John told me, and I stood up with him as we threw our trash away.

"Sounds cool, bro." I replied, and followed John out the door. We walked for awhile, towards the university.

"Oh, so you live on campus?" I asked him.

"Yeah," he replied. "I think it's more convenient.

"True. Karkat and I only rented the apartment because we wanted more room."

"Heh, yeah. The dorms can get pretty cramped. But since I live alone right now, it's pretty spacious."

"Well that's good," I said as we approached his dorm room, having already walked into the buildings. I took note of the number on his door and the dorm building name.

"Well, if you need anything, let me know, Dave!" John said as he unlocked his door.

"Will do, bro," I said, and held out my fist.

John looked at it for a few seconds, and finally brofisted back. I couldn't help but smile at that.

"See ya later, Dave!"

"See ya, John."

John walked into his dorm and shut the door behind him. I heard the click of the lock, and that's when I left. I began the journey to mine and Karkat's home, dreading the moment when I would have to walk in and face Karkat.


	4. Bumps and Conclusions

**PoV: Karkat**

I woke up just a little after seven thirty in the morning, and found that Dave wasn't in his bed. I stood up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, making my way to the doorway and tripping over something of Dave's in the process. I caught myself in the doorframe, and heard a light thud nearby. I rolled my eyes.

"What a clumsy fuckass," I mumbled to myself as I made my way down the hall and to the kitchen for some breakfast.

As I walked in, the sight that greeted me was not pleasant. John was on top of Dave, and they were both on the floor, staring into each others eyes. I let out a little gasp of horror, and both of their gazes snapped up to my face. John quickly scrambled off if Dave, and I tried to slow my racing heart and form words.

"Get the fuck out. Both of you," I told the two. Both if them fumbled with words and excuses, but I didn't care, so I didn't listen. I felt hot tears prick my eyes, and my voice raised, shouting. I told Dave that I didn't put up with cheaters, telling him it was over.

Dave opened his mouth to retort, but no words came. A moment passed before he reached for his shades on the floor. He and John left without another word, and as soon as their footsteps faded out down the hallway, I ran to the bedroom, letting tears fall freely as I buried my head in my pillow, and screamed myself out. I sobbed on my bed pitifully, crying myself to sleep.

When I woke, it was only 10:30am. I laid in my bed awake, but still, and let my thoughts wander as they pleased.

_"Why would Dave do this to me? I loved him so much, put up with all his bullshit, and this is how he repays me Fine, he can have his stupid fucking John."_

Not even a half hour passed after those brave thoughts passed through my head before I was wondering if Dave was going to come back. Part of me wanted him to, but the other part never wanted to see him again. He had to one way or another. We had class tomorrow and all of his stuff was here.

I let the day pass by finishing my biology homework, eating junk food, and watching romcoms. Several romcoms and tubs of ice cream later, I took a shower and started to get ready for an early bed time. After doing so, I cleaned up mine and Dave's room and made Dave's bed, like always, pretending to myself that everything was going to be alright.

I laid in bed for awhile, and just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard the apartment door open and close. My heart began racing, and I buried myself under my blankets, making everything around me disappear. Too bad for me, the blankets didn't do well at drowning out sound, and I hear the bedroom door open.

My eyes were wide open under the blankets and I was listening to every little sound that Dave made.

He seemed to be shuffling around, and avoided my side of the room at all costs. After about 20 minutes of that, I heard Dave flick the light switch off and climb into his bed.

My heart was still thudding wildly in my chest, and conflicted emotions ran through me. Finally coming to a decision, I climbed out of bed and turned on the light. The lump on Dave's bed moved, and his face peeked out of the mound of blankets. His eyes searched my face for anger, and when he found none, he sat up on his bed.

I took a deep breath and walked over to him, sitting down carefully on the edge of his bed.

**PoV: Dave**

I had stalled as long as I could before finally returning to the apartment at around 7:00pm. When no angry Karkat pounced on me, I relaxed slightly and made my way to the bedroom. Karkat was there, hidden under a mess of blankets on his bed. One glance around the room told me that Karkat had cleaned up the room while I was gone. I spent about 20 minutes getting my things ready for class tomorrow, avoiding Karkat's side of the room. After I finished with that, I changed my clothes, and took of my shades, setting them carefully on my nightstand. I then proceeded to flick off the light and climb into bed.

I burrowed myself deep under my blankets and tried to fall asleep. I laid there for a few minutes when I heard soft shuffling of blankets on the other side of the room, and quiet footsteps. My body tensed as the light was turned back on by Karkat. I pushed my blankets off just enough to see Karkat. I searched his face for anger, bracing myself for a shitstorm rant, but when none came, I relaxed a bit and sat up on my bed.

A moment of silence passed before Karkat stepped forward and sat down on the very edge of my bed. He looked at me expectantly, so I took a deep breath, readying myself to explain what had happened.

I was still fighting with my brain, trying to find a not so complicated way to explain, when Karkat's voice pierced the silence between us.

"Why?" he asked. His voice was so soft, yet so full of hurt, and when I looked at his eyes, I saw tears.

"Karkat, it was an accident."

"You  _accidentally_ cheated on me with some random douche you met at the club?" Karkat said, his voice breaking, and not raising itself much above a whisper. It was a far cry from his usual shout.

"I'm not cheating on you, I met John at the club, yes, but he just needed a place of refuge for the night."

"He was on top of you, Dave."

"He's not a homosexual. He slipped on the apple juice I spilled this morning," I said, taking another breath, trying to be patient and keep things as simple as possible.

Karkat looked down at his fidgeting hands.

"But you like him," Karkat offered.

I tried to deny it, but I realized I couldn't.

"You like him, Dave!" Karkat repeated, voice raising slightly, sounding exasperated. "So you really did stop loving me!?"

"You said we were done. That means I'm single, and I can like whoever I want." I replied simply.

"You aren't denying that you don't love me."

A few moments passed, and Karkat moved to get up. I quickly stopped him by speaking up.

"I didn't think you wanted me to anymore. You've been pushing me away lately. You blew me off at the club and you didn't even return my kiss. Besides that, when's the last time you said you loved me?

Karkat let this mull over in his head, and he couldn't come up with a suitable retort. The silence that followed was deafening.

"I'm sorry," he finally said. "I've just been under a lot of stress. I've always assumed the worst about you. I shouldn't have doubted you, Dave."

"You're right. You shouldn't have," I replied coldly.

Karkat let out a small, choked sob, and I immediately regretted my tone of voice.

Karkat made to get up again, but I wrapped my arms around him.

"All relationships have bumps, Karkat. Perhaps we can fix this, get over that bump together," I told him, letting a smile cross my face.

Karkat nodded slowly. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"I love you, Dave," he said.

I didn't need to hesitate before replying.

"I love you too, Karkat." And this time, as I said it, I knew I meant it more now than I ever have before.

Karkat smiled slightly and snuggled into my chest, and we laid on the bed together, falling asleep in a mess of tangled limbs and blankets.


	5. Irrational Ex-Girlfriends and Strange Totally-Not-Homosexual Feelings

**PoV: John**

I left Dave in the hallway of my university dorm and shut my door behind me. I looked around the dorm, and I could tell that Vriska hadn't been here. Everything was just how I left it. I sighed in relief and made my way to my room so I could gather some things together and shower.

I stepped into my room and grabbed my towel, then stripped my clothes off and walked into the bathroom. After turning on the water in the shower and adjusting the temperature, I stepped inside and began washing. Now, since all thinking happens in the shower, I thought about stuff.

The first thing I thought about was this morning, and what happened with Dave. I remembered it all clearly, especially since it had all seemed to happen in slow motion. My foot stepping forward into the puddle of whatever that was on the floor, losing my balance as I slipped and fell into the unbalanced Dave.

Dave and I falling onto the floor, his shades flying off and revealing crimson red eyes. I had landed perfectly on top of him, and it was as if our bodies were fit for each other. (Wait, what?) His eyes caught my attention and I stared into them. Then of course, the following events seemed to happen in a rush.

When Karkat had come out of no where, I had scrambled as fast as I could off of Dave. There was yelling and rushed explanations and next thing I knew, Dave had grabbed his shades and was dragging me out the door.

Dave and I had wandered around and had a generally good day, we exchanged numbers, and I had invited Dave to stay with me. He had politely declined in his cool kid way though. more rushed events, and now I was alone in the shower.

To my own surprise, my train of thought ran on a completely different track. Dave's eyes, they were breath taking. How I possibly ruined his and Karkat's relationship, how Dave was bisexual. How I wasn't a homosexual, but I'm not sure I only like girls either.  _Especially_  after Vriska.

I grimaced to myself at those last thoughts and decided I had done enough thinking for one day, so I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. I towel dried my hair first, then my body and I wrapped my towel around my waist. I stepped out into my room and let out a squeal of surprise. Who was sitting on my bed, none other than Vriska herself.

"Hey John!" she greeted me. I blushed and walked to my dresser, pulling out clothes.

"What do you want? Why are you here?" I asked her.

"John! You haven't been returning my calls!" she whined.

"Yeah, there's a reason for that. I broke up with you like, two weeks ago, remember?"

"Yeah, I know that!" she said. I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Then what are you here for?" I asked.

"That guy you were hanging out with, Dave, right?" she asked. I nodded, not even questioning how she knew about him or that I was hanging out with him. Then again, we all had the same math class together.

"Well, I was out of state a few days ago, and I met this girl. We hit it off right away. I was telling her about you, John, and she was telling me about Dave. I never talk to him at all, so I don't know like,  _anything_  about him. Anyways, I need to know where this Dave guy is!" Vriska explained.

"Hell no!" I said to her. "You're bad enough pestering me, I don't need you stalking him too!"

"Oh,  _I_ won't be talking to him. This other girl will! They're like, long lost bffs!"

I rolled my eyes and walked back into the bathroom to change. Once I was finished, I walked back out to see Vriska with another girl.

"You know John," Vriska started, "If you don't tell me willingly, you know I'll just snake it out of you anyways!" she said, winking.

I sighed, knowing this was true.

"Fine," I said. and I scribbled down Dave's number and address on a piece of paper and handed it to her.

"Thanks John!" Vriska said, taking the paper from me and tucking it into her jeans pocket. The other girl who had been silent before spoke to me now.

"Tell me, how is Dave doing?" she asked.

"He's fine. He lives with his boyfriend, Karkat."

"B-boyfriend?" she exclaimed, almost choking on her own saliva.

"Calm down, Terezi," Vriska said to the other girl, Terezi apparently. "This will be more than easy to fix!" she said.

Terezi gave a knowing smirk.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Wel, we've got to go! Bye, John!" Vriska said suddenly, pulling Terezi up and rushing the two of them out the door.

I rolled my eyes and set myself to finishing my homework. That took the remainder of the night, so I skipped dinner and went straight to bed. I fell asleep thinking about Dave, which for some reason, wasn't very surprising to me.

**PoV: Dave**

Karkat and I woke to the sound of our screeching alarm clocks. I yawned and stood up, turning off the alarms. I saw that Karkat was getting up, so I didn't need to shake him awake or anything. I left him in favor of the shower, and after that, I got dressed and walked into the kitchen to make breakfast for Karkat and I. While Karkat showered, I settled on making us pancakes. Just as I flipped the last pancake onto the stack of ones already made, Karkat was stepping into the kitchen to join me.

"Good morning, Karkat," I greeted him, giving him one of my cool kid kisses as I sat him down at the table with the food.

He grumbled in reply as I sat down across from him. We each had our share of pancakes, mostly in silence. It wasn't a bad silence though. It was one of those people eating silences.

Once we finished our food, I picked up the dishes and set them into the sink to be washed later. Karkat and I walked into the bedroom to grab our things and then headed to our respective classes. My first class went by quickly, and I made my way to my second.

I froze in my tracks as I walked into my mandatory mathematics class, which I had with Karkat. My eyes widened beyond belief behind my shades as I saw who was there. First there was Vriska, who I never put a name to until John had described her to me as his ex. She was talking to some hopeless romantic hipster/emo kid who went by the name Eridan, and standing next to him was my ex-girlfriend. Terezi Pyrope.

She noticed me before I could escape, and ran over to me, engulfing me in a hug. That's when Karkat walked in, and Terezi was spewing nonsense.

"Dave! I missed you so much! This is Dave, right? I could smell you from a mile away!" she said, burying her face in my neck. She pulled away when Karkat began shouting.

"Who the hell are you? Get the fuck off of Dave!" he shouted.

"You must be Karkat!" she said enthusiastically, and she hugged him too. What surprised me was that he didn't push her off right away. When he did though, his face was red as a tomato. John then walked in the room, and once he grasped the situation, he shot me an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, Dave!" he said, running over to me. "This is all my fault! I shouldn't have told them anything about you!" he said, his mouth running a million miles a minute.

"You did this?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, Vriska questioned me about you, so I let her know a little bit of what I knew. I'm sorry she brought you ex-girlfriend into this!"

I shook my head. How the hell did Vriska even find her anyways? "Don't worry about it, John. I'm sure everything will be fine," I reassured him.

It wasn't long before everyone was seated, and smeohow, Terezi had wedged her way in between Karkat and I. Ironically, she was pestering Karkat more than me, and even more ironically, Karkat wasn't blowing up a shit storm.

Pretty soon, the class was over, and I headed to my special DJ class. John walked me there since his class was near mine. For some reason, as we walked, John kept on biting hi slip nervously and tripping over his own feet. Finally, after his tripping for the sixth time, I questioned him.

"John, why are you so nervous?"

"Nervous? I'm not nervous, Dave! Don't be silly!" he replied a little too quickly.

I was about to question him again, but we had reached my class and John had ushered me inside and ran off. I sighed and shook my head, confused as hell.


	6. Spare Time and Underlying Romance

**PoV: Karkat**

After getting ready this morning and attending my first class, I headed to the math class I shared with Dave. The John guy had recently switched in, and Vriska would be there too. Apparently she was John's ex-girlfriend. She was also a good person to stay away from.

As I walked in the room, it was a bit chaotic. A strange ginger girl was hugging Dave.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked her. "Get the fuck off of Dave!" I then shouted at her afterwards.

She let go Dave, and latched onto me instead.

"You must be Karkat!" she exclaimed. I was too shocked to push her off. She leaned forward and whispered something in my ear.

"You smell  _so_  nice!~"

That's when I pushed her off, my face red as hell.

John and Dave conversed while I made my way to my seat. The strange ginger girl (who I soon found out was Terezi) situated herself between Dave and I when we all finally got around to actually sitting down.

Terezi decided to pester me all throughout the class, and I couldn't concentrate. I tried my best to ignore her, but for some reason, I just couldn't tune her out. The class ended uneventfully, and as Dave headed to his DJ class, I made my way back to our apartment, because I didn't have another class until around 2pm.

As I made my way back, Terezi and Vriska somehow tagged along. I rolled my eyes and continued my master ignorance of the two girls. Finally making my way back, I entered the apartment with Terezi close behind. Vriska, however, stayed standing in the doorway. Something flashed in her eyes, and it made me shiver.

"Well, I've got things to do, you guys! See ya later!" she said, leaving before I could prevent her from doing otherwise, not that I wanted to anyways. So instead, I made my way to the bedroom, Terezi ever my little shadow. Finally, I turned to her and asked,

"Why are you following me everywhere?"

"Well, how else am I supposed to find my way around?" she asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Well, you could watch where you're fucking going, for starters!"

There was a pause before she replied.

"I can't..."

That's when it hit me. Terezi was blind. That suddenly explained a lot of her actions to me.

"You're...you're blind," I said out loud to have it confirmed.

"Yeah," she replied softly. Must be a sensitive topic.

"So how to you know Dave?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Er...I'm an old friend of his. From highschool," she explained.

"Strange, because he's never fucking mentioned you before."

Terezi simply turned her face away from me. Then she was suddenly leaning closer to me. She put her hand on my cheek, so it was barely touching. Her hand wandered across my face and her fingertips came to a rest at my lips, pausing for a moment before trailing down to my chest. I couldn't move, I was frozen in shock.

Her other hand ran through my hair, and then she leaned her face forward and smelled my chest, my neck, my cheek. Before I could react, her lips were brushing against my own. That's when I began to struggle. Or tried to, at least. Something was wrong with me, my brain wasn't sending the right signals to my body. Instead of moving away, I was kissing her back. Everything inside me was screaming for me to stop, but I couldn't. For some reason, I just couldn't stop.

**PoV: Dave**

John had gotten me pretty early to my class, so I had 10 minutes to spare. 2 minutes into those 10, I realized I didn't have my headphones with me. One quick chat with the teacher later, and I was on a mad dash to the apartment to get them. It took me barely 2 minutes to run back to the apartment, and I was soon fumbling with my keys and unlocking the door. I stepped inside quietly and made my way to the bedroom to retrieve my headphones. My heart shattered at the sight that greeted me.

"Is this your sick idea of revenge?" I shouted, demanding answers from both Karkat and Terezi, who had been in the midst of a sloppy make out session when I walked in. "What happened with me was a misunderstanding!"

Karkat snapped away from Terezi at the sound of my voice. His eyes widened.

"I…I-" he stuttered, trying to come up with an excuse.

"You know, I really think that we are done, Karkat. There are just too many things going on and being hidden between us, we need to go our separate ways," I told Karkat. "I can't kick you out, so I'm moving out. We obviously need to spend time apart."

I then snatched my headphones off of my desk and walked out, taking my time getting back to class, not caring that I was going to be late. It was hard, but I managed to suppress my feelings and keep my poker face throughout my class.

* * *

My class ended, and as soon as I got out, I immediately began a quest to find John. I soon discovered that his class wouldn't be out for another 10 minutes, so I ended up spending this 10 minutes casually seated outside his classroom door as I waited for him to get out.

Finally, when he did get out, I sort of latched myself onto him, and I was definitely grateful for my shades. My eyes were watering beneath them, and not in an ironic way.

I must have lost my poker face by then, because a concerned look appeared on John's face.

"Are you okay, Dave? What's wrong?" he asked. The tone he used was definitely concerned.

I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was a choked sob. I mentally beat the shit out if myself for letting my guard down and being so weak.

"Oh shit. Something terrible must've happened…," I heard John mutter under his breath. He took my hand and led me to a nearby bathroom. Once inside, he repeated his first question again.

"Dave, tell me what's wrong."

John managed to get the story out of me.

"So you walked me to my class, right? But then I forgot my headphones, so I had to go run home to get then but Karkat an Terezi were there, making out, and… I told him I was leaving. I don't know what to do, John!" I said, never pausing for breath. I was on the verge of hyperventilating, and I couldn't stop thinking about how uncool and I unironic I was being.

"Okay, Dave, okay. Calm. Take deep breaths," he told me, trying to stem his own worry. After I had taken a few deep breaths and calmed down a bit, he spoke.

"My offer still stands, Dave. You can stay with me," he told me.

Seeing as I didn't have any other choice, I agreed. John told me we were going to get his truck an pick up my things from the old apartment. I told him I didn't have class tomorrow, and he didn't either, so we decided we would move my furniture into John's dorm then. He led me back to his dorm and into the dorm garage, where his truck was.

John ushered me into the passenger seat, and then he climbed into the driver's seat. It was barely a two minute drive back to the apartment. Karkat and Terezi sort of stood to the side, shocked as John and I moved my things out.

Once every last item of mine was out, which wasn't very much, John and I left. The truck ride back was silent until I spoke up with a simple "Thank you," to John.

"Anytime, Dave. I'm glad to be here for you," he replied, a small smile playing on his face.

Huh. If someone told me a week ago that I'd be breaking up with Karkat who had cheated on me with my ex-girlfriend and moving in with some guy I only really met 3 days ago, I wouldn't have believed them. But then again, I didn't believe that I would even still be alive at this point, seeing the way that I was forced to grow up far to fast in a not so easy childhood and how depression was a problem I had fought, and was still secretly fighting. A problem that no one knew except for John now. He saw me break down, so now, he knew everything.


	7. Sick Beats and Fancy Dances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I wanna let you guys know my headcanon for Dave. When he's drunk, he gets really philosophical, but when he has a hangover, he's a giggling mess. Another headcanon is that John can only dance classical dances. Just thought I should let you all know! Also, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. So much fun, that I even drew my own fanart for it, even though it sucks xDD Once I scan it in and post it, I shall give it to you wonderful readers.

**PoV: Karkat**

I didn't think things could get any worse than they were now. Dave had burst into the bedroom and caught Terezi and I. So much pain and hurt played on his face, and he didn't even try to hide it.

"Is this your sick idea of revenge?" he had asked. "What happened with me was a misunderstanding!"

I fumbled with words, but couldn't make up an excuse. My brain was frazzled, and I couldn't make out much of what Dave was yelling. All I knew is that we were done, and he was leaving.

 _"Is he serious?"_  I asked myself as he left. Apparently he was, because he and John stopped by after my last class and took all of his things. Terezi and I could only stand there and stare from the sidelines. As I watched him go, I realized that a mysterious part of me didn't even care.

It was well into the night when Terezi made to leave, but realized she had no place to go. It was too late to return to Vriska's.

"You can stay here if you want, Terezi," I told her, feeling more generous than usual.

"Are you sure?" she asked, voice uneasy.

"Yeah, it's fine. And don't worry, I'm not a bad guy, so nothing's gonna happen to you," I reassured her, making it clear that I didn't really desire anything sexual at the moment. I didn't even know why I had kissed her back. I didn't want to, at all, so why had I done it? It was as if something had taken over my body and made me do it.

"Okay," she simply replied. I asked her where she wanted to sleep. We agreed that I would switch the sheets on my bed so she could sleep there, and I would sleep on the couch, After she and I showered (separately, of course!), I lent her some of my clothes, and we went to bed. I had a hard time falling asleep, but that never came as a surprise to me.

**PoV: Dave**

When I woke up on John's couch with a hangover, I flipped some very uncool shit. The only thing that told me what happened the night before was the cold half full pizza box on the coffee table, the abundance of beer bottles scattered about, and my pounding heat.

I tried to untangle myself from the blankets I was wrapped in and stand up, but all I managed was rolling myself onto the floor, hitting it with a loud and uncomfortable thud.

I whined loudly until John came, for ironic purposes of course. When he walked in and saw me on the floor, he gave me a very pitiful look.

"Dave...," he said, facepalming. Then he gave me one of his cute Egderp smiles and began helping me out of the blankets and off the floor.

"I really shouldn't have let you drink so much last night," he told me, scolding himself essentially, while trying to scold me. I smirked at him as he pulled me up onto unsteady feet.

"I forgot I have to work at the club today," I informed him.

"On a Tuesday night?" he asked in disbelief. I nodded in answer.

"Maybe I should accompany you, then," he suggested.

"No need," I told him. "I'll be fine by then."

He sighed. "I think we should get your furniture set up, Dave." I agreed with him.

With that, we ate a quick breakfast and started moving my shit in. After just two hours, we were done, and another hour after that, I had all of my paperwork done. By then, John had lunch ready, which I was extra grateful for.

While we ate, we set up arrangements for bills and chores. I would pay the electric, internet, and air conditioning, as well as half the rent, John would pay for water, cell phones, and heating, and the other half of the rent. The rest would be payed for together or randomly. We settled on a chore schedule as well, and once that was all done, we decided to watch a movie.

As John put in "Con Air", I almost laughed. I suppose I had suspected that John's taste in movies would be terrible, but now that it was confirmed, I had a hard time keeping my poker face. Especially since I was still nursing that lousy hangover.

John noticed this and kept on throwing me confused looks as I suppressed a shit ton of laughter that wasn't caused by the movie itself. As John looked at me for what was probably the 15th time, I couldn't contain myself. I burst out into laughter, so much so that I had rolled off of the couch and was clutching at my stomach, which was sore from laughing so hard.

"That's it," John said, sighing loudly. "You need to get a hold of yourself and take a nap, Dave." The look on his face only made me laugh more, and I was a helpless victim to my own amusement. John ended up dragging me to my own bed and tucking me in as if I was a small child.

After 20 minutes of lying there, giggling, John forced a few sleeping pills down my throat, and it wasn't long before I was knocked out cold, trapped in my own hungover, laughter filled dreams.

* * *

When I woke up, my pounding headache was gone, and I was completely ready to face the world like the cool kid I was. I began to sit up out of my bed when Egbert walked in.

"Hey, Dave! You're awake! How're you feeling?" he asked as he walked over to me.

"I feel great," I told him. I glanced over at the clock, which read 5:14pm. "I have to be to work at 6," I told John. He gave me a nod, and left the room so I could shower and get dressed. Once that was done, John greeted me with dinner. Damn, this kid is an awesome cook. I quickly ate the food at the table with John, and then we both headed out to the club, because Egderp still insisted on accompanying me.

We walked the 10 minute walk to the club, and as I walked in, John hesitated.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, adjusting my shades on my face.

"What should I do here? I'm not here to pick up anyone," John said with a slight blush on his face.

I smirked. "Just dance. Some people come here for plain old fun, you know," I told him.

He nodded and we walked in, and I soon realized that telling John to dance was a terrible idea. He didn't know the first thing about dancing, and ended up just flailing his limbs everywhere, creating a 10 foot radius of space around himself while I DJ'd, trying to keep a straight face as I watched him.

10 minutes passed by, and I couldn't contain myself anymore. I put up my back up playlist and walked over to John. Major Deja-vu ensued as I greeted him.

"John, do you have any idea how to  _actually_  dance?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

John's face flushed as he replied, "Of course I do!"

"Prove it," I challenged him. John's face got redder, but he said, "Fine," and reached for my hand. I was suddenly pulled closer to John, and I felt his other hand rest on my waist. John then proceeded to lead me in a waltz.

" _Oh hell no,"_  I thought to myself, and I could feel my face heat up as people began staring. It's not everyday you see two college boys waltzing to rap music, after all.

I tried to peel myself away from John, but he was practically clinging to me as we danced. His hand moved from my waist to my shoulder, and out of no where, John said,

"That's a nice shoulder there, Dave."

I raised my eyebrows at him.

"My shoulder is just like any other shoulder," I said nonchalantly. John shrugged his own sexy shoulders at me in reply.

Wait, where did that thought come from? His shoulders were just like any other shoulders too. Whatever.

John stopped and tried to twirl me. Part of me wanted nothing of it, but the other part wanted to do it for ironic purposes. The latter won out.

As John twirled me, a subconscious part of my mind formulated a plan, and began to carry it out.

When John released me from the twirl, I dipped him down and pressed my lips to his, earning a few cheers from the gazers nearby. John was squirming at first, trying to get free, but he started to relax and kiss me back.

Out of no where came a flash of light, and when I looked up, Bro was standing there, holding an old fashioned camera, with Jake standing next to him. Bro had a huge smirk on his face as the camera spit out the picture.

"Slick Dave, slick," was all he said, before handing me the picture and walking away with Jake. I looked at the photograph and facepalmed. I turned to John, who was blushing madly, and showed him the photo.

"This is going on the fridge, for the irony," I told him, smirking all the while.

John could barely stutter out, "Whatever, Dave."

I let go of John and made my way back to the DJ booth, tucking the picture carefully into my back pocket. Once I got there, I began putting my sick beats through the speaker of the club. When my current song ended and I looked up, I wasn't surprised to see that John was gone.


	8. It's Almost the Holiday Season!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I'm here with another chapter, speeding things up to the holiday season! I'm not sure how many more chapters there are going to be, but I'm almost finished. The total count should be around 13, but there's no guarantee that it will be that number. Somewhere in between 12 and 15, and 13 just sounds like a cool number xD

**PoV: Dave**

A month and a half passed since I moved in with John, and the holidays were approaching quickly. Thanksgiving came and went, with each of us visiting out respective families. John, Terezi, Karkat, myself, and Vriska all managed to get along without any problems. Terezi and Karkat had officially started dating last month, Vriska was everywhere, and I wasn't sure where John and I stood. After I had kissed him, he had avoided me for a few days, but things had soon returned to normal.

Every other weekend, the group of us would take turns hosting game nights. Somehow, Eridan managed to get in in this too, though none of us really talked to him except for Karkat and Vriska. That was alright though; It wasn't like I had anything against him. Yet.

This weekend was mine and John's turn to host, and then in two weeks was Christmas. Eridan was hosting that weekend, and he had decided to turn it into a Christmas party instead of just game night. Eridan said to invite whoever, and there would be more than enough room for everyone, considering Eridan was a rich kid and owned, (yes,  _owned_ ) a pretty big house.

Anyways, back to the point. John and I were out shopping for food and beer for our game night. As John dragged me to the grocery store, I realized he was holding my hand. Sometimes he did these confusing little things. He would hold my hand, cuddle with me while we watched his shitty movies, and even sleep in my bed next to me when he had a nightmare. I realized that thinking all of these things was making my cool kid facade slip, so I wrenched my hand away from John's.

"I just realized I need to go Christmas shopping, dude," I told him when he shot me a confused look. His face quickly brightened.

"Oh! I forgot about that! You go do yours while I get groceries and then I'll do my shopping tomorrow before the party!" he suggested.

"Good idea," I said, and John and I parted ways.

Shopping was easy at first. I got rainbow chalk for Terezi (she goes through that shit  _fast_!), a shitty book for Karkat (50 shades of something), an ironic scarf for my sister, Rose (she was visiting for Christmas), a shitty sword for Bro, a skull T-shirt for Jake, some weird creepy voodoo spider related junk for Vriska, and even this ironic hipster cape for Eridan, but when it came to John, I dead panned. I was gonna get him a stupid movie, but he already owns like, every single one in existence.

I had no idea what to get John, so I just decided to get him a present later. After having the presents wrapped by the store, I packed them into bags and met back up with John at his truck. We packed all of the items into the back seats of the large pick-up, and then took off back for home.

When we arrived, John put the groceries away, and I shoved the presents I bought into my closet. As I put the last one away, John walked in, carrying a wild grin on his face. I raised my eyebrows questioningly. John only shook his head, too happy to talk, apparently. Or not, because he began talking.

"I just got off the phone with my sister, Jade. She's going to come to Eridan's party!" he said enthusiastically. "Even better, she knows your sister, so they're gonna come and visit together!"

"Cool," I replied, nodding my head slightly. John's smile faltered a bit.

"Aren't you happy?" he asked me.

"If course. I'm just…tired," I told him, using the oldest excuse in the book.

"Well, you should sleep then!" John said. "I decided that while you're doing that, I'm going shopping for presents," he finished.

"Okay, have fun, dude," I said, waving John away. John smiled and grabbed his wallet and keys, then proceeded to practically skip out if the room. I smiled softly to myself as I slipped my headphones on, and started to put together some music for tomorrow's game night. After all, what's a party without music?

After that was said and done, I quickly put together a track for Eridan's Christmas party, an after  _that_ , I took a nap. When I woke up, John still wasn't home, and it was around 7:00pm. I started making spaghetti for dinner, and just as I finished cooking, John walked in the door, with what seemed like a hundred bags in tow. My eyes widened in surprise, and John gave me a feeble grin. He was quick to put away his gifts and join me at the table for dinner.

We ate mostly in silence, and when we were finished, I got up to do the dishes. Though it wasn't his chore that night, John helped me do the dishes. Every time his hand brushed against mine in the sink of warm water, I involuntarily shivered.

When John noticed this, he would peek over at me and smile. I pretended not to notice, which I could pull off with my shades on my face. I kept my professional Strider poker face on, until John's hand brushed against mine again, but lingered there.

I turned my head slowly towards John, who was looking at me, grinning as a light blush danced across his face. I gritted my teeth together and pulled my and away, taking my hands out of the water to dry the now clean dishes.

John sighed loudly and walked out of the room. I resisted the temptation to follow him and dried the dishes instead, putting them away as I finished. I tried to sort out the mixed signals I was getting from John in my head, and came to a conclusion. I was going to have to get an answer out of John one way or another.

Once I finished putting the dishes away, I made my way to the bedroom. I paused outside of the door when I heard quiet sobbing from within.

"Vriska, I don't know what to do! I'm so confused!" I heard John wail. He must've been on the phone with Vriska because I only heard one voice, and last time I checked, Vriska wasn't here. After a moment of silence, John spoke up again.

"Yeah, I know. I'll just have to rely on instincts, I guess. Thanks, Vriska," I heard him say with a sniffle. He said goodbye, and I silently backed off and waited a few minutes before approaching the door like I normally would. I opened it, and there was John, sitting on his bed in all his red puffy-eyed and tear streaked cheek glory that he was so desperately trying to hide.

I took a deep breath, sitting next to John on his bed. I wrapped him in my arms, relief flooding me when he leaned into my embrace, and I knew I was setting this up right. I rocked him back and forth slightly for awhile, letting silence engulf us for a few moments before I spoke up.

"What's wrong, John?" I asked him, legit concern in my voice.

He only sniffled in response, waiting a moment before saying, "It's nothing, Dave. Don't worry about it."

He pulled away from me and stared down at his hands, which were fidgeting profusely, and waited for me to leave. That was something I didn't do, though.

Instead, I took his chin in my hand and lifted John's face to look up at me. Even as I raised his chin though, John's gaze stayed pointed downwards.

"Look at me," I said. John didn't respond. I snapped my fingers in front of his face. Again, no response. I sighed loudly and flipped myself over onto my back so that my face was right under John's. He let out a little giggle as he wiped tears from his face and sniffled as he turned his head away once again.

I almost gave up, but that little giggle was what kept me in pursuit. After a moment of hesitation, I pulled my shades off, folding them and resting them on my chest. This caught John's attention, for his eyes flicked over in my direction for a moment. I blinked, but kept my eyes shut. When I slowly opened my crimson red eyes, I found John staring into them. He quickly looked away, red spreading swiftly across his face. A half smile, half smirk played on my face as I took my hand and pulled John's face towards mine again. His eyes met mine this time, and my smirk-smile turned into a full smile, soft and sincere. These were the moments when I didn't mind losing my cool. We stared into each other's eyes a few moments more, when John made the first move.

His head dipped down and his lips met mine as his eyes slid closed. I let mine close as well, relaxing as I kissed John back. I brushed my tongue across his lips, and he parted them, letting my tongue dart inside to explore. Our breathing increased, and a small moan escaped John's lips. My tongue retreated back into my mouth, and John pulled away, blushing madly. Our eyes met, and I saw more confidence in Egbert's eyes, different from the uncertaincy I saw before. I smiled at him again, a smile which he returned without hesitation.


	9. Games and Redrom Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies, but updates may become slower because I am coming up to the last chapters, and the new school semester started so I'm pretty busy. After I finish this fic, I'll be taking fic suggestions, so come at me with your requests guys! :D

 

**PoV: Karkat**

It's been awhile since Dave moved out. Terezi and I [began dating](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8905354/9/) about a month ago, and she lived with me now since she had no other place to go. We had separate rooms though, which meant I had to rearrange most of the [apartment](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8905354/9/) to compensate for it. Oh well. It was nice having company around that didn't get on your nerves 100% of the time. i had pretty much gotten over Dave by now, but a small part of me still longed to have him back.

It was Friday, and tomorrow, Dave and John were [hosting game](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8905354/9/) night. 2 weeks after, Eridan was going to have a huge Christmas party. I hated huge events, but I knew Terezi would drag me along one way or another.

I was currently serving dinner to Terezi and myself, tinight's dinner being take-out pizza. We both ate as we watched T.V. in the living room. In the middle of whatever fuckass T.V. show we were watching, the doorbell rang. Terezi hopped up to answer the door, and a few moments later, Vriska joined us.

"What're you doing here?" I asked, scowling at the girl.

"Just wanted to remind you about John's party tomorrow!" she said.

I rolled my eyes and got up to shove her out of the [apartment](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8905354/9/) when she spoke up again,

"But that's not all!" she began excitedly. I raised my eyebrows at her.

"I think...," she paused for a more dramatic effect, "John and Dave are a thing now!"

My mouth dropped, but I can't say I wasn't expecting this. Despite that, I still questioned her,

"W-what?"

"Yeah! But I guess we'll have to find out for sure tomorrow!" Vriska replied, smirking. I made my way to my room, hanging out there and doing [homework](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8905354/9/) until Terezi knocked on my door a few hours later.

"Vriska's gone," she said, answering my unspoken question as she walked in. But now it was her turn to ask.

"Are you upset? About Dave?" she asked me.

"I don't know," I told her. She sighed and retreated out of the room, leaving me to sleep. That I did, and to my surprise, I did so quite easily.

* * *

I had woken up and carried out my Saturday normally until it was time for game night. Terezi and I walked to Dave and John's place, which was on campus, and as we arrived, Terezi knocked on the door. John answered not even three seconds later.

"Hey guys!" he greeted us cheerfully. "You're the first ones here!"

"Hip hip fucking hooray," I said sarcastically as Terezi and I followed John inside. Terezi punched my arm, and I was going to retalliate when something on the fridge we were passing caught my eye.

"So Vriska was right," I mumbled out loud. Terezi snickered as we examined the picture on the fridge. Dave was dipping John, and they were kissing. I looked away from the picture and continued following John into the living room, where Dave was.

We soon started a game of Twister (don't ask why the fuck I agreed to it), and halfway through it, the doorbell rang. I jumped and fell on top of Dave, with John falling on me since I bumped him. I was in the middle of a cool kid Egbert sandwich. Gross. I tried to wriggle my way out, but ended up elbowing Dave in a place that made him cry out in pain, and in all of our half drunk states, I ended up turning John on by the time I got out.

"Shit," I mumbled, trying to get the hell out of that room. John was blushing and Dave was still curled up in pain when I shot one last glance back into the living room before entering the kitchen and splashing water in my face. I needed to calm the fuck down. I then turned to answer the door, Vriska and and Eridan were standing there. Eridan's wishy washy voice spoke up.

"We're here!" he shouted. Vriska was smirking as if she knew about the entire situation already. Terezi then joined me in the kitchen, greeting the two at the door and leading them inside.

"So we were playing Twister, but I'm not sure if that's such a good idea anymore," I could hear Terezi say as Vriska snickered from the living room. I decided to step outside for some fresh air, so I left the apartment silently and took out a cigarette once I was outside. I didn't normally smoke, but I could really use the nicotine to calm myself down. I lit the cigarette and took a long drag, and after a few minutes, I heard someone walk out behind me. As the footsteps came closer, I turned to find myself face to face with Strider. I felt like such a stranger to him.

"You okay?" he asked me, light concern in his voice.

"I'm fine. You?" I returned.

"As fine as I could be after getting elbowed in the junk," he replied, chuckling.

"yeah, sorry about that. I was just...uncomfortable," I told him.

He nodded in reply and we stood in silence as i finished my cigarette. I exchanged a glance with him, and we both headed inside. Upon returning, I saw that everyone was in an intense game of Clue. I almost scoffed, but instead reached for another beer. I sipped the foamy drink as I watched the others play their game. In the end, Eridan was the killer, which I found to be quite amusing.

"No fair!" he whined, slamming his cards down on the table. Several people, including myself, giggled at his reactions. He folded his arms and pouted as John cleaned up the game and put it away.

"Any suggestions for another game?" John asked the group. When no one spoke up, John huffed in frustration and stomped his foot a little.

"Guys! We came here to play games and have fun! Not sit around and act stupid!" he complained to us.

We all exchanged glances, and I was ready to suggest calling it a night, but Vriska spoke up.

"Let's play Truth or Dare! It'll be so fun, I haven't played in years!" she said, her eyes flashing. I wanted to say no, but I soon found myself agreeing with it. Not that my opinion would've mattered anyways; Everyone else agreed to it. I sighed as we all sat ourselves down in a circle on the floor. Vriska decided she was going to ask first.

"Hey Dave! Truth or Dare?" she asked Dave wickedly.

"Dare, of course," he replied smugly. Vriska thought for a moment before deciding on a dare.

"I dare you to take a shot of vinegar."

A chorus of 'ew' went around, but Dave wasn't one to chicken out, so he went through with the dare anyways. I think a lot of us were glad that it wasn't a sexual dare. That would've been awkward. A few of these meddlesome dares went around, and suddenly, I found Eridan asking me.

"Truth? Or...Dare?" he asked in a dramatic voice.

"Truth," I mumbled. After all, I didn't want to end up drinking out of the toilet or something ridiculous like that.

"Alright," Eridan responded. "Do you still... _feel_  for Dave?" he asked.

I froze, and all eyes were on me. Against my will, I found the truth wriggling its way out.

"Yeah," I said, my voice quiet, whisper-like. Terezi looked hurt, Dave looked confused, and everyone else was somewhere between bewildered and amused. My face heated up, and I wanted nothing more than to excuse myself, but I was frozen in place. When I looked over at Vriska, she had a hard stare fixed on me, with an evil grin of sorts on her face. My heart was racing, and I shook my head to clear it. I didn't like this attention, so I turned to John and asked,

"Truth or Dare?"

He looked up at me. "What? Oh...dare, I guess."

And so the game went on awkwardly until everyone was almost on the verge of smashed, and made their way home. When we got home, Terezi didn't speak a word to me. But even so, I could hear her sobs carry on late into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this story seems to have too much drama. But I'm trying to steer it into one specific direction, so that's how it's happening. Comments with feedback would be really appreciated you guys!


	10. Christmas Party Shenanigans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm sorry for the late update, but like I said before, they're going to be slower. Because of school. Anyways, enjoy!

**PoV: Dave**

I sat in mine and John's room, not at all ready to go to Eridan's party.

"C'mon, Dave!" John called to me from outside the bedroom door. "We're gonna be late! And we still have to pick up Jade and Rose!"

"I told you I don't want to go," I told him. "You know how awkward it's going to be? I haven't spoken to Karkat since game night, and I'm pretty sure you're going to find a way to make me talk to him tonight."

"Dave, you're the one making it awkward! Just suck it up! All he said was that he still likes you," John pointed out to me.

I sighed loudly, he was right, after all.

"Fine," I replied. "I'll go. But I won't enjoy it."

As soon as I was dressed, John and I hopped into his truck and stopped by Rose and Jade's hotel to pick them up, finally arriving at Eridan's Christmas party 15 minutes late. John hopped out of the truck and opened Rose's door. I followed his lead and opened Jade's, and we led the girls inside.

As soon as we walked in, Vriska looked at us with a smoochy face, and pointed up. Great, mistletoe. I rolled my eyes, face tinged with pink as I gave Jade a small kiss, John doing the same with Rose. As soon as that was over and done with, we were formally welcomed inside by Eridan.

I separated myself from John and the girls to meet some new people. The first person I met was a hyperactive girl named Feferi, who was clinging onto a male wearing 3D glasses. His name was Sollux. Near Vriska was a male in a wheelchair, who stuttered a lot and went by the name of Tavros. With them was a guy who looked completely stoned. He introduced himself with a  _honk_  as Gamzee. Later on in the party, two girls walked in, Aradia and Kanaya. Rose and Kanaya practically became instant best friends. Lastly was a muscular male, who was accompanied by a smaller female. They were Equius and Nepeta, I soon learned. Once I had introduced myself to everyone, I went off in a search for Karkat, ready to overcome and be done with this hurdle as soon as possible.

After a good 45 minutes of searching, and not finding Karkat, I finally resorted to questioning Terezi about him.

"Hey TZ," I greeted her.

"Hi Dave!" she greeted me happily in return.

"You seen Karkat anywhere?" I asked her, as casually as I could.

She frowned a bit before answering.

"He didn't come."

"So he's at the apartment?"

She nodded.

"Okay, thanks," I told her, and walked up to John to get his truck keys.

"Hey bro, I need to borrow your truck," I told John, in a tone that made him not dare to question me. He simply nodded at me as he reached for the keys in his pocket, handing them over to me. I took the keys from him, heading to his truck and starting it, then proceeding to drive to the old apartment. I was glad when I realized that I still had my key, so I let myself in. As soon as I closed the door behind me, I heard Karkat's voice call out.

"Terezi? Why are you back so early?" I gave no response and he entered the room living room, where I was standing. When his eyes landed on me, he sputtered and gasped, like a fish out of water.

"Wh-...D-Dave? What are  _you_  doing here?" he asked when he managed to form coherent words.

"I've come to sort things out," I told him. I took a step towards him, but he took a step back, so I stayed put, deciding to respect his space.

We stood there in silence for awhile before Karkat spoke.

"What do you want to sort out?"

"Umm...us, I guess," I answered nervously. "I don't like how everything has been really weird between us. I want to fix it."

"Are you sure you really want to fix our friendship? Now isn't the time for drama, Dave. I'm still getting over my break up with Terezi," he told me, looking away.

"You guys broke up?" I asked, raising my eyebrows in surprise.

"Yeah, the day after the game night at your place. For obvious reasons," he added at the last minute. "How are you and John?" he asked.

"I don't know," I replied honestly. "Sometimes we kiss or hold hands or cuddle, or just stuff like that, but he never says he loves me when I say it, and when I asked him if we were a thing, he told me he wasn't a homosexual."

"Well his actions quite contradict that, don't they?"

"Yeah," I replied. "I don't get that boy sometimes..."

Karkat grunted in reply, and I had to remind myself what I was here for.

"So I was looking for you at the party to sort things out but you weren't there, so I came here. I really think we should fix things," I told Karkat.

"Fix things?" Karkat questioned.

"Yeah. Fix things. We've spent time apart now and that's what I said we should do...," I said, trailing off.

"Ummm...wait. You want to...get back... _together?_ " his voice rose with each word.

"I guess. I mean its not like I ever stopped caring about you, Karkat. I hate to admit it, but John is...was sort of a rebound," I answered.

The silence that followed was deafening.

"Dave, do you really mean that?" Karkat asked eventually.

"Y-yeah. I do mean it," I replied. When I stepped forward this time, Karkat didn't move away. He moved towards me, and we were hugging. He buried his face in my chest, and I buried mine in his hair and he was squeezing me so hard, I could barely breathe.

"I missed you, Dave," Karkat choked out softly. I didn't realize he was crying until now. I tried to pull away to see what was wrong, but Karkat held me all the harder.

I sighed, but I was okay with this. I could hold Karkat in my arms forever.

**PoV: John**

30 minutes ago, Dave left with my truck, and no explanation of where he was going. I was a little worried at this point, but Vriska and Jade just told me to chill out, he'll be back. All I could do was believe them and accept the beer bottle that Terezi handed me. She herself looked drunk off her ass.

Something seemed wrong with Terezi, so I sat her down to chat, getting straight to the point.

"Terezi, is something bothering you? And where's Karkat?" I asked, just now noticing his absence.

Terezi growled slightly. "He's at home. He didn't want to come, and I have no right to force him anymore," she told me.

"Huh?" I asked.

"We broke up. He doesn't love me, just  _Dave_."

"Oh…I'm sorry to hear that," I said to her, speechless now.

"We'll I'm glad someone is. Thanks," she replied. "You know, it's my fault though. I shouldn't have gotten attached. It was just a ploy to make Dave jealous, but I don't even care about him anymore."

Well now she had me confused. But when she continued talking, I didn't interrupt her.

"I mean, I let her use her stupid mind control ability on Karkat. That was so stupid, I should have known the feelings wouldn't be genuine. Was she even on my side? I mean, she made Karkat say the truth at your party. It's like she's out to ruin everyone, and their relationships."

Mind control? Oh shit.  _Oh shit!_  This had been a stupid Vriska set up this entire time! Karkat never liked Terezi, Dave never really liked me, I wasn't sure where I stood, but that didn't matter. I wondered if Dave and Karkat knew about this. If not, I would need to tell them.

Terezi babbled on about something or another, but I had stopped listening. I stared at the door anxiously instead, waiting for Dave to come back. When he did finally return, he wasn't alone. Karkat was with him.

"Dave! Karkat!" I called out, rushing over to them. They stopped and I joined them, and no one cared that all three of us were under the mistletoe at once. No one was even paying attention to us. I was able to explain everything without interruption.

Dave and Karkat were speechless after I finished explaining.

"Seriously, that's what happened? Vriska's such a fuckass!" Karkat exclaimed when he was finally able to form coherent words.

"Yeah," I replied. Shit was serious now. We knew we couldn't do anything to Vriska, and to shun her would just be childish. So we decided instead to confront her. But not today. Today, we were going to party, because its Christmas Eve, and Christmas Eve is a perfect time to party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just don't question how they all accept the mind control thing. They're pretty much all drunk anyways, so that's the excuse I'm using xDDD


	11. Patching Things Up; Like a Boss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hah! I bet you guys thought I would never update this! No, but really, sorry it took so long! I had like, 3/4 of this written back before I even posted the last chapter, but I was just going through some major writer's block with this. Bleh.
> 
> I have NO IDEA when I will update this next, as I don't even have the next chapter started. But I have a little idea of what I might do with this. Things still apply though, things being soap-operastuck. So like, this will still have drama. xDD Anyways, enjoy! :)

 

**PoV: Dave**

Christams day found everyone asleep in various areas of Eridan's house. I woke up with a major cramp in my back, probably because I was curled up, sleeping behind the huge T.V.

"What the fuck, Dave?" I asked myself as I stood and stretched. Why in the world would I sleep behind the T.V? Whatever, I really didn't care. My priorities now were to get a glass of water, and maybe some pain medication for my headache, and then find John and Karkat.

I stumbled into the kitchen and helped myself to a glass of water and the very conveniently placed bottle of aspirin on the counter. Damn, Eridan is prepared for  _everything_. I would have to remember to thank him later.

After I finished in the kitchen, I peeked into a few of the guest bedrooms, grimacing at a few of the sights I saw, and quickly absconding. I checked the last one, and there I found John. After waking him, I had John join me in a search for Karkat.

When a search throughout the house showed no Karkat, we came to the assumption that he went home with Terezi, who was absent as well. They had to have taken a cab, seeing as neither of them had a vehicle. After our search, John looked at me and posed a question.

"Dave...what are we?" he asked, sounding nervous.

"What do you mean?" I asked him, confused.

"I mean...," he trailed off, staring at his hands which were violently tying themselves into knots.

"Are we...together?" he finally managed to spit out.

My heart dropped and I deadpanned. Now I had to explain everything to john.

"Um...well, you see, John...you always say you aren't a homosexual. And I mean, while I did genuinely like you a little, my feelings for Karkat haven't changed," I explained.

John's shoulders visibly fell, he understood.

"I see," he said, hurt clear in his voice. "So I'm just a rebound?"

"No. I mean, kind of. I did really like you, John. Honest," I said, fumbling with words in an attempt to not hurt John further, but it was too late.

"Let's just go home, Dave," he said, not looking me in the eye. I sighed in defeat. I had this coming. This is what I get for hosting too many feelings for too many people.

"I'm sorry, John," I told him, trying to fix things, even if just a little.

John turned and gave me a sad smile, his face weighed down with so much emotion, emotion that he only half attempted to try to hide. The look made my heart shatter.

"It's okay, Dave. I understand," he told me firmly.

"No, it's not okay. I used you. I manipulated you. That was not okay."

"No, but I still forgive you."

John turned away from me and walked out of the house and to the car, calling out behind him,

"C'mon Dave! We need to get home and exchange presents, and then meet up with Jade and Rose. I guess they have a Christmas thing planned too."

I sighed and followed him out, climbing into the passenger seat of his car. As soon as we were situated, he began driving home.

About halfway through the drive, John spoke up again.

"Listen Dave, about your present..."

"Yeah?"

"Well, I couldn't think of what to get you...so I was going to give you something  _else_ , I mean, if you were g-going to be okay w-with it...but, uh, circumstances changed, so...," he trailed off. I glanced at him, and he was blushing furiously.

"Oh?" I asked, picking up on his innuendo. "Well, I didn't know what to get you either. I've been looking all over, but nothing seemed to stand out," I told him.

"I see. Maybe we could just catch a hockey game later, pay for each other's tickets?" he suggested. I shrugged.

"Sounds good to me."

The rest of the drive was spent in silence, and we soon arrived in the college dorm's garage.

After getting out of the car, John informed me that Jade and Rose's thing wouldn't be until around four, and it was only noon now.

"Is anyone else even going?" I asked John, doubting it since everyone had hangovers.

"They're supposed to. We're all supposed to exchange gifts then," he told me. I nodded and we walked into the dorm together. I walked into the kitchen to get some apple juice, stopping when i saw the picture still hanging on the fridge. My heart skipped a beat, and my memory of that moment with John surged forth to the front of my mind.

I shook my head and tried to drink the apple juice I had poured, but then I remembered that that was the drink that really brought John and I together in the first place. I dumped the juice down the sink, not being able to enjoy the drink anymore. Sighing, I went to mix some beats in mine and John's room while John watched some movie, hoping to pass time while we waited for a suitable time to leave for Rose's party.

* * *

Time passed by quickly, which I appreciated. We got all of the gift exchange stuff done with Rose and Jade, and John and I managed to catch that hockey game. We didn't return back to his dorm until late in the night, and I was utterly exhausted. Even so, John and I still needed to eat dinner, so I ordered pizza.

As John and I ate, it was mostly silent, until John decided it was time for a short interrogation.

"Dave, are you going to move back in with Karkat?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Nah. Not yet at least. I think I'll stay the rest of the semester here. You know, it'd be such a hassle to move back in there, and I think that will just make tensions rise between Karkat and I. Besides that, where would TZ stay?" I replied. I had a good point. Despite Karkat and Terezi's break up, they were still living together. They had actually patched things up pretty well between each other, and were really good friends. As for John and I...

"Oh, okay. That sounds legitimate," he said, shrugging his shoulders a bit as he reached for another slice of pizza.

"Yeah. Oh and John, I forgot to mention yesterday but your work called while you were out shopping. I think you're getting a raise," I told John, recalling that the place he worked at, a children's museum,  _had_  called, and the tone of voice sounded cheerful.

"Okay, thanks. I'll check it now, I guess," John said, standing up and walking over to the answering machine.

 _"Hello, this is Carrie from the Washington State Children's Museum, looking to speak to Mr. John Egbert. Call back as soon as you can, as it regards a fairly serious matter that we would like to discuss with you."_ The women's voice lightened up here, taking on a joking tone.  _"And do not worry, you are not in trouble! Just call back at 555-910-7806 and we will speak to you then. Thank you!"_

"Wow, Dave! I think you're right!" John said excitedly, turning back to you. "Too bad I'll have to wait until tomorrow to call. They're already closed by now..."

"Well, good job, Egderp. How long have you been working there anyways?"

"Uh, since I was 16 I think..."

"It's about time you got a raise then!" I told John, as it was true. I mean we were what, 22 now? The little derp had been working there for 6 years! That's kind of a long time, if you think about it.

"Yeah, I guess so! I'm excited Dave!" John blurted out. "I think we should celebrate!" he said, pulling out ice cream from the freezer as you threw away the empty pizza box.

"I agree," I told him.

John and I decided to sit down and watch some shitty program on TV while we ate our ice cream, and we both were in a fairly good mood.

Things really seemed to be brightening up now. Karkat and I had settled things, me and John seemed cool, I had ice cream, and John got a raise. Not only that but Terezi and I were patching things up, becoming good friends as well, and life in general just seemed better. I really hoped it would stay this way. I think we all needed a little break from the drama. Of course, who says there isn't drama to come? At least now we weren't buried in it, and we would be able to handle almost anything thrown at us.


	12. Confrontations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And to think it's been over a year since I've started this fic, and many months since I've updated! Damn. This writing is total shit because I realized how out of tune I am with this fic, and also there's probably lots of plot holes, as well as how I am absolutely not used to writing in first person anymore (dammit, Homestuck). I'm cringing at the characterization of everyone in this, it's terrible. I should really rewrite this whole thing but I am such high amounts of lazy. Oh well. No guarantees for when the next chapter will be out.

**PoV: Dave**

"Alright, Vriska. What was even your deal?" I questioned the spider-themed girl in front of me. We were all attending yet another party at Eridan's, this time for New Years. The guy had time, money, and space to spend, so why not spend it with a party? That was his thought process, at least.

"What are you talking about, Strider?" she asked me, all too innocently.

"Oh, fuck you! You  _know_  what I'm talking about, Serket. The whole  _mind control_  thing? How would that even benefit you?"

"Oh, thaaaaaaaat!" she said, waving her hand and dragging out the word 'that' for far too long. "I was just helping out a friend in need!"

"Did Terezi  _ask_  you to do that?"

"Well of course! I don't just do  _favors_  for anyone, Dave!" The glint in Vriska's eye  _screamed_  evil. I glared at her through my shades, a look strong enough to kill if it could.

"Favors? You call this a favor?!"

"Pfft, yeah!" she said, as if it were completely obvious. "Pyrope wanted you back! So the only thing I had to do was make  _you_  jealous, by pushing Karkat and Terezi together!"

"And manipulate  _his_  feelings? Ruin our relationship? That is  _so_  low, and you know it! I don't even fucking believe you, Terezi would never want something like that," I replied, malice clear in my voice.

"You can even ask her!" Vriska quickly defended herself. "She  _wanted_  to make you jealous. It was her idea!"

I took in a deep breath, closing my eyes behind my shades to keep my composure.

"Do you even know how sick and tired I am of your lies and bullshit? I think I  _will_  go ask her. I know Terezi, she would never do something like that to me. She's cool. You're not. No one could do such an evil as you."

Vriska scoffed at that, crossing her arms. "I can't even believe you've let me play along for this long. Mind control isn't even real, dumbass!"

"Ha! I know your history, bitch, I  _know_  what you're capable of. You're the one that paralyzed Tavros, you're the one who blinded Terezi,  _and_  you almost killed Aradia in one of your dumb gang fights or whatever the hell you interest yourself in," my voice was pretty loud by now, and if I didn't keep myself in check, I'd draw attention to our little conversation. Couldn't have that, now could we? I lowered my voice, "Maybe not the extent of mind control, but definite manipulation. You're dangerous."

I could've swore I heard Vriska mumble, "You should meet my sister." She quickly shook her head though, speaking louder as she replied, "I just know how to get my way, Strider."

And with that, she stalked off, leaving me in the middle of Eridan's living room with a drink in my hand I was  _sure_  was spiked. Not like I cared. At least I was legal.

I sighed, looking around the room for Terezi. Even as confident as I sounded when I talked to Vriska, part of me  _wanted_  to believe her. But that was probably just the damned manipulation she had going on. Even so, I made my way over to the ginger haired girl as soon as I laid eyes on her. Placing a hand on her shoulder, I greeted her.

"Hey 'rezi. Havin' fun?"

She gave me a shit eating grin, cackling. "Of course, coolkid! Aren't you?"

I shrugged. "More or less. Can we talk?"

Her grin falters, but she nods nonetheless. "Sure."

I took her hand, leading her outside to the backyard. I ditched my drink on the way out there, encouraging her to do the same. She did.

"What's up, Dave?" she asked, a concerned look in her unseeing eyes.

"Have you asked Vriska any favors lately?" I get right to the point. I hate beating around stupid metaphorical bushes.

"Favors?" she asks, tilting her head to the side. "Like what?"

I roll my eyes with a sigh, "Did you actually want to get back together with me? Did you really follow me all the way from  _Texas_  to get your little friend  _Vriska_  to manipulate Karkat and I to break up? Because if you did, that's pretty dumb, you went and dated  _Karkat_  instead of me and that's just fuckin' stupid."

I can tell that I'm irritating Terezi, which means I've hit a nerve. "What are you getting on about?" she asks.

"Did you  _ask_  Vriska to manipulate us all?"

"I-"

"Were you jealous?"

"Dave!"

"She's right, isn't she?"

"No, of course not!"

"Terezi."

"Look, everything's going back, okay? It doesn't even matter what happened before, you and Karkat are getting back together, aren't you?"

"Dude, no, that's completely irrelevant. You've hurt people's feelings doing this!"

" _I_  didn't do anything!" Terezi tries to defend herself.

"You asked Vriska to."

"It wasn't recently! I became friends with her a  _long_  time ago, I asked her to do something about it when you and I first broke up!"

"Then why did she wait so long?"

"I don't know! I didn't even care to be with you anymore by the time this all happened. I was over you, Dave."

"I know for a fact she cleared it with you before she did all of this. So why did you agree?" I ask, throwing at words at chance. I actually didn't know, but also didn't care.

"I guess I wanted to get back at you for the way you left me so suddenly. That hurt.." Terezi speaks in a small voice. I frown.

"That's so bullshit, man. So. Bullshit."

"I know. I'm sorry."

I sigh, running a hand through my hair.

"Well I guess we can't change the past. We just gotta hope things look up from now on."

"I know...When are you going to move back in?"

"End of the semester. So it'll be a few weeks. Think you can find a place by then?"

"I don't know..."

"If you help pay bills and shit, John'll probably let you stay with him. He's got a spacious dorm."

"I'll look into it."

"Cool."

I don't say much else. The conversation kinda hit a dead end, which always fucking sucks. Not knowing what else to do, I simply offer a fistbump to Terezi. She meets it with her own as I tell her,

"Well, I'm out. I'll see ya around, 'kay?"

"Yup! Talk to you later, coolkid!"

I smirk at her, walking back inside to find Karkat and John. We needed to talk about shit. Mostly moving plans, and I kinda felt obligated to ask John if Terezi could stay with him. But really, that shouldn't be too much trouble. John's a cool guy, pretty friendly, it's pretty impossible  _not_  to be friends with that guy.

I find Karkat first, spinning him around into a hallway and giving him a chaste kiss. He sputters, pushing me off, and I laugh.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Kissing you."

He rolls his eyes at me, muttering, "Asshole."

"I have one. Good work, detective," I offer, making him scowl. It's not genuine though. "I'm moving back in next semester."

"Thank god," Karkat huffs. "Terezi just doesn't get shit. You and I had a pretty good thing going with keeping up the apartment. And I miss our movie nights."

Movie nights. I pretty much despised them until I managed to turn them into cuddlefests. That was pretty cool.

"Yeah me too man. But don't worry, you won't be without Strider for long. Just a few more weeks and I'll get around to cuddling you on the couch again and feeding you popcorn."

Karkat blushes, but nods anyways. "Cool. I missed that."

"I know. Anyways, we gotta find John again so we can arrange where TZ is gonna stay and when to end the bill cycles and all that grown up shit that everyone hates."

"Have fun," Karkat snickers, though he stops when I grab him by the arm.

"Haha no, you're coming with me you dunderfuck."

"Shit.." Karkat mumbles, and I just chuckle, dragging him along to find John. After all, we had  _major_  shit to sort out. Grown up shit. Ew.

It doesn't take long to find John, and he's only  _slightly_  intoxicated.

"Yo John c'mere."

He nods, following as I lead he and Karkat into the kitchen. It's quieter there.

"So yeah, this might not be the best time to talk about it n' shit but like, I'm moving back to Karkat's in a few weeks and we gotta sort shit out. Can TZ stay with you if she helps pay and stuff?" I ask John right away, because I am so fucking eloquent like that.

"Uh..sure? She's cool enough. Why're you leaving so soon, Dave?"

"Because I said I was movin' back at the end of this semester. Which is like the end of January. Woah man, speaking of, it's like 10 to New Years. We gotta celebrate that shit."

So maybe I have a little ADHD. A little. My mind just  _flies_  everywhere, thinking everything at once. I lean over to Karkat and tell him, "I'm gonna kiss you at midnight."

"You'd better," is all he replies, folding his arms.

"So everything cool now?" I ask John, patting his shoulder.

"Yeah, everything's great! I won't be seeing you as much though, and that blows."

"Don't worry man, you're officially gonna be a part of game nights. I mean you already are. You are so integrated into this friend group with TZ that you can't escape."

"Great. Is this something I'm supposed to look forward to?"

"Yep."

"Sweet," John tells me, then walking off. Presumably to watch the ball drop. Karkat and I stay here though, right in the kitchen and I am so perfectly content like that.

We wait the minutes out, talking in hushed whispers about missing each other and being excited for everything to be normal again.

We know that New Years is upon us when everyone starts counting down. I start counting down with them, and encourage Karkat to do the same. He claims he won't, but I can see the words on his lips.

As soon as I hear "Three, Two, One...HAPPY NEW YEARS!" I pull Karkat into a kiss, which he wholeheartedly returns.

Fuck, I missed this.

"Happy New Years, Kitkat."

"Yeah you too, douchebag," Karkat mumbles back against my lips. This has got to be the best night I've had in a long-ass time.


End file.
